Coin mechanism for vending machines



' Sept. 1, 1931. M, CRAMER 1,821,740

- COIN MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 17, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

Sept. 1, 1931. A. M. CRAMER 1,821,740

I COIN MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Original Filed on. 17. 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEY.

P 1931- A. M. CRAMER 1,821,740

COIN MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Original Filed Oct. 17, 1927 s Shets-Sheet 3 I N VEN TOR.

AATIORNEY.

Patented Sept. l, 1931 PATENT OFFICE I ALBERT M. CRAMER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA COIN MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES Original application filed October 17, 1927, Serial No. 226,674. Divided and this applicationjfiled Septembcr28, 1928.

In my prior application Serial No. 226,674

filed October 17th, 1927 for coin controlled mechanism for coin controlled vending machines, I have disclosed and broadly claimed a coin mechanism in conjunction wit-h which a coin chute, embodying my present inven tion is adapted to be employed.

My present invention, which is a division of my prior application aforesaid, compre- 1c hends a novel construction of a coin chute which has been especially designed to render the coin mechanism more efficient and reliable under conditions to which commercia vending machines are subjected. I It further comprehends a novel coin chut having a movable side, provided with a stop portion to prevent the passage through the coin chute of a coin of improper dimension, said chute having a steeper pitch at its discharge portion in order to increase the speed of the coin passing through the coin chute, and the movable side of the coin chute is mounted in a novel manner so that when released it will return to its open position due to gravity and its own weight.

It further comprehends a novel construction of a coin chute having a slotin one side, the upper Wall of said slot being bevelled so as to facilitate the passing through said side slot of a coin of improper dimensions.

Other novel features of construction and advantage will be clearly set forth in the detailed description and the appended claims.

For the purpose of illustrating the'invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings a typical embodiment of it, which, in practice, will give satisfactory and rehable results. It is, however, to be understood that this embodiment is typical only and 40 that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized, and the invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of these instrumentalities, as herein set forth.

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a coin mechanism in conjunction with which a coin chute embodying my invention is employed.

I Figure 2' is a section on line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Serial No. 308,959.

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the coin mechanism.

Figure 4 is a section on line l& of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the coin chute, in detached position.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a guard for the coin chute, in detached position.

Figure 7 is a side elevation of the movable side of the coin chute,-in detached position.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts. I

Referring to the drawings My present invention, although not limited to such use, is especially adapted to be employed in conjunction with the coin mechanism for coin controlled vending machines of the type shown in the F ritsche Patent N 0. 1,039,508, wherein the articles to be vended are contained within superimposed compartments of an article container, and a coin mechanism is provided for each article re ceiving compartment and controls the unlocking of a door which provides access to its article receiving compartment.

The frame of the machine is ordinarily built into or forms a part of the side wall or partition of a room accessible to the purchasing public. In rear of such wall or partition, a place is provided for the attendants in order that the article receiving compart ments may be replenished when the articles in such compartments have been vended.

My present invention relates more particularly to the coin receiving chute, and the mechanism'cooperating therewith will be explained in only suflicient detail to enable one skilled in this art to understand the operation of the coin chute. 1

Each article receiving compartment is pro vided with a door controlling access thereto, and this door is controlled by means of coin mechanism 1 which includes as a part-ofits operating mechanism the coin chute 2. The 95 coin mechanism embodies a framework, preferably in the form of a casting,to which is rigidly connected the coin chute 2 in any de sired manner. This coin chute has its inletv end communicating with a coin slot in the front wall of the machine in the usual and conventional manner.

This coin chute is provided with a channel 3, one side of which at the inlet portion of the coin chute is provided with a guard plate 1 secured to the coin chute by means of fastening devices 5. This guard plate 1 is provided with a slot 6, see more particularly Figure 6, and the upper wall of this slot has its free edge portion inwardly bevelled or inclined as shown at 7, and terminates at a shoulder 8. The channel 3, as best seen in Figure 5, is provided with a lower ledge which is progressively cut away as seen at 9 in Figure 5, in order to increase the speed of the coin and it is also preferably laterally inclined as will be understood by reference to Figure 2.

The lower end of the coin chute is provided with a movable side or section 10 which is provided with the earsll through which a pin 12 passes, and the parts with this pin 12 will hereinafter be explained. The movable side 19 is also provided with a lug 13 adapted to receive a pivot pin 14, see Figure 3, which passes through lugs 15 which are cast integrally with the coin chute 2.

The movable side 10 is provided at its forward end with a laterally extending stop 16, see more particularly Figure 7, and, in the form illustrated, this stop is in the form of an inwardly projecting flange integral with the movable side.

The movable side 10 is so weighted that it normally tends to move into and be retained in its open position due to gravity and its own weight; When the movable side is in its closed position, the bottom of the slot has in cross section the general contour of a V so" that if a cent or dime is inserted it will, due to its thickness, be sufficiently lowered in the slot of the coin chute to be disengaged from the overhanging flange 17 so that it will not pass through the coin chute but will be arrested by the stop 16. This stop 16 is of such dimensions that if a coin of the proper denomination is inserted into the coin chute it will pass by such stop 16 and be discharged from the coin chute. V

If a coin passes through the coin chute it 1s recelved in a coin retainer 18 and the coin comes to rest in such coin retainer in the path of a cam 19 fixed to a rock shaft 20 which is provided with an actuating handle 21 which extends exterior of the machine in a position accessible to the intending purchaser.

A spring 22, see Figure 1, encircles the shaft 20 and has one end connected to it while its opposite end bears against a fixed portion of the machine, such as for example the coin chute, so that the tendency of this spring is to maintain the cam 19 in the position seen in Figure 4. The periphery of this cam forms curved cam face 23, see Figure 1, which is adapted to cooperate with the periphery of a coin which has been arrested in the coin retainer 18.

The spring 22 also tends to retain the movable side 10 of the coin chute in its closed position as will now be explained.

The rock shaft 20 has fixed to it a pin 24, see Figure 2, and this pin extends through an opening 25 in a collar 26 which is loosely mounted on the rock shaft 20. This collar 26 is provided with an arm 27 which passes beneath the pin 12 carried by the cars 11, fixed to the movable side 10 of the coin chute.

The fixed side of the coin chute 2 is pro vided with an opening 28 through which is adapted to extend at certain times, a stop pin 29 so that any coin-passing through the coin chute at such times will be retained in the coin chute. This stop pin 29 is provided with a spring 30 which bears against a flange on the pin 29, tends to maintain the outer end of the pin in contact with the cam lever o1 which is fulcrumed on the post 32.

This cam lever 31 is controlled by the unlocking of a door so that when the door is unlocked and articles to be vended are not contained within the vending compartment, the stop pin 29 will extend through the opening 28 and thus arrest a coin passing through the channel 3 of the coin chute 2. The coin retainer is retained in alignment with the slot of the coin chute by the engagement of the catch 33 with a lug 3 1 on a pivoted detent lever 35 which is normally retained in its raised position by means of a spring 36, and a handle 37 is operatively connected in such a manner so that the coin retainer can be manually reset.

1 The operation will now be apparent to those skilled in this art and is as follows Assuming that the parts are in vending position and the article container is in its vending position with the door to the vending compartment closed and locked, the machine is ready for the intending purchaser to insert a coin into the coin slot of the machine which registers with the coin chute 2. If the coin is of the proper dimensions it will pass directly through the channel slot 3 of the coin chute 2 and will be received in the coin retainer resting therein on a stop 38 provided therefor. The intending purchaser now partially rotates the handle 21 and thereby the shaft 20 in a clockwise direction, thereby causing the cam face 23 of the cam 19, fixed to the shaft 20, to ride on the periphery of the coin, thereby exerting a downward pressure on the detent release rod 38, which at this time extends through the opening 28. This causes the detent lever 35 to move downwardly to release the coin retainer 18, the movement of the latter being arrested by the outer wall of the coin delivery chute 39.

As the coin retainer 18 passes beyond the detent lever 35, the coin discharges through 'the bottom of the slot in the coin retainer into the coin discharge chute 39 which leads to a coin box or other receptacle, not shown, in which the coins are collected which have actuated the machine. This movement of the coin retainer 18 effects the unlocking of the door to the vending compartment, as is clearly set forth in my copending application Serial No. 226,674.

On the partial rotation of the shaft 20, the pin 24 will move the collar 26 so that the arm 27 will move downwardly, thus permitting the movable side 10 of the coin chute to open due to gravity and its own weight.

As soon as the operator releases the grasping handle 21, the spring 22 will cause the parts to assume the position seen in Figure 2, and the arm 27 will press against the pin 12, see Figure 2, and cause the movable side to be retained in its closed position.

Assuming the coin chute and coin retainer have been constructed to receive a five cent piece, and a one cent piece or'a ten cent piece is inserted, it will be apparent that due to it being of less thickness than a five cent piece, it will drop down in the slot of the coin chute sufiiciently to cause it to either clear the over-hanging flange 17, or in any case sufliciently to engage the inner side wall of the movable coin chute section 10 and contact with the stop flange 23. I

Special attention is directed to the upper bevelled wall of the-slot 6 of the guard plate 4 and the shoulder 8. The coin chute, as will be clear from Figures 2 and 4, is inclined so that if a coin clears the overhanging flange 17 it will drop out of the slot 6 or if the coin is travelling at such speed that it does not pass out of the slot, it will ride on the bevelled face 7 and as soon as it contacts with the shoulder 8 it will be discharged from the coin chute through the slot 6.

In machines of this character where the coin passes through a coin chute into a retainer, the lower end of the discharge portion of the chute should be arranged in such a manner that the coin will enter the coin retainer at considerable speed and still the speed must not be so excessive that the coin will bound out of the coin retainer. By deepening the slot at 9, see Figure 5, so as to increase the pitch of the discharge portion of the coin chute, the speed of the coin is increased and this has been found to be of material advantage in the commercial use of machines of this type as it provides for quicker operation of the machine and ensures the coin, if of a proper denomination, of positively passing into the coin retainer.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a new and useful coin mechanism for vending machines which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the embodiment thereof which will give in practice satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that this embodiment is susceptible .of modification in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a coin mechanism for coin controlled vending machines, a coin chute having opposite side walls contributing to form a coin slot having converging side walls at its bottom, the depth of said slot at its discharge end being deepened to form a downwardly and forwardly inclined wall to increase the speed of the coin.

2. In a coin mechanism for coin controlled vending machines, a coin chute having a slot in one side, the outer marginal portion of theupper wall of said side slot being in- 7 wardly inclined and terminating in an inwardly extending shoulder to facilitate the passage through said side slot of coins of improper dimensions.

ALBERT M. CRAMER.

statement of the invention and the above de- 

